Jaipur, March 30 Days after senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot's remarks on keeping ministers' relatives away from power drew criticism, the former chief minister of Rajasthan clarified on Monday that he was asking them to distance themselves from government affairs, not politics.
He said there was nothing wrong with encouraging ministers' family members to enter public life.
"I said that the sons and daughters of ministers should be kept away from the government, and not politics. What is wrong with that?" Gehlot asked while interacting with reporters here.
On the other hand, he said that family members should be encouraged to participate in politics so that they benefit from the experience of the current generation of leaders.
Last week, referring to a controversy involving a legislator's son in Rajsamand, Gehlot had alleged that since the formation of the current state government, several ministers' family members have been facing accusations, and wondered "what kind of encouragement is being given to ministers' sons."
He advised the chief minister, deputy chief minister and ministers to keep their sons away from government affairs, saying that it would benefit the administration.
He warned that proximity to power without oversight could lead to reputational damage.
"If you keep them close to the government, you may not even realise when they bring disrepute to you. The defamation will be yours, of the government, of the ministers and of the chief minister," he added.
On Monday, Gehlot said that if leaders' family members enter politics, they would benefit from the older generation's experience.
"I would like to tell the chief minister and all ministers – bring your family members forward, be it your son, daughter, brother-in-law, or anyone else. If they enter politics, they will benefit from your experience," he said.
Suggesting that his remarks may have upset the current leadership, Gehlot said, "It seems my comments hit them, or they are feeling a sense of guilt. For the last three days, what have they been talking about me in Jodhpur and Jaipur?"
He further alleged that issues he recently raised were either not being answered by the state government or were being responded to evasively.